Shredder and grater



Dec. 1, 1931. A. s. KNAPP SHREDDER AND GRATER Filed June 16, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet & 76m, 7% VJMM j 09%,]

22/1216 AM wwaz Patented Dec. 1, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ANDREWS. KNAI'P; 01 8'1. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO KNAPY-IONAROE GOI- IANY, OF WEBSTER CITY, IOWA, A CORPORATION OF MISSOURI SHREDDEB AND GRA'IEB Application filed June 10, 1930. Serial m. 461,588,

The object of my invention is to rovide a shredder and grater of simple, urable and comparatively inexpensive construction.

More particularly it is my object to provide a shredder and grater. wherein a plu-' 'rality of diflterent cutter elements may be mounted on a base for grating and'shreddingarticles in different sizes and shapes.

"A further object is to provide acomplete unitary structure wherein a holder may engage the article to be shredded and thereafter by reciprocative movement of the holder the article will be drawn across the cutter and fed into the cutter for shredding and grating purposes.

Still a further object is to provide a holder guidingly associated with the base of the shredder and grater capable of pivotal movement relative to its guides and also capable of bodily pivotal movement with the guide members upon which it is mounted thereby permitting the holder to assume many different positions for holding articles to be grated Irrespective of the contour of such article.

, A further object is to provide means on the under side of the holder proper for en aging the article to be shredded or grate so that substantially all of the article may be so grated or shredded without danger of the operators fingers coming in contact with the sharp cuttin edges of thecutter.

Another 0 jeet is to arrange the holder so that it is guidingly held upon the base of the shredder and grater and at no time will the holder come in direct contact with the cutting edges of the cutter.

Still another object is to provide a cutter element of substantially circular outline whereby the position of the cutting edges of the cutter may be arranged at an angle or at different angles so that the design of the article cut may be varied. The positioning of cutter element permits the same cutter to be used for making wide strips or narrow strips or elongated strips from the article to be cut. For example, potatoes may be shredded for making so-called shoe string potatoes or the so-called potato chips.

With these and other objects in view my illustrated 1n t e accompanying drawings. a

'Although the inventionis-susceptible o variet of embodiments, it is unnecessary to ful y describe and illustrate more than onein order to give a full understandin of the invention both from its structural an functional stand oints. Accordingly, I have illustrated a pre erred and desirable embodiment of the lnvention in the accompanying drawings in which: 1

Figure 1 is a top plan view of my improved shred'der and grater.

Figure 2 is a vertical, sectional view taken on line 2--2 of Figure 1 illustrating the shredderand grater in a position of actual use, the dotted lines indicating the holder when moved.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a plan view of the under side of the holder.

Figures 5 and 6 are plan views of different types of cutters.

Figure 7 is a sectional view taken on line 77 of Figure 6.

Figure 8 is a detail sectional view taken on line 88 of Figure 3.

In the accompanying drawin ,Ihave used the reference character A to in icate generally a support or base which includesa flat surface 10 formed with a reinforcing flange 12. Thesurfaoe 10 is of rectangular outline and includes a central opening 14 formed withadown-turned peripheral flange16. The flange 16 has its free lower edge-upturned slightly as at 18 so as to provide a receiving channel for the cutter elements to be hereinafter more fully set forth. At one end of the support A and formin a part thereof is a wire element 20 secure to the flat surface or su port 10 in any suitable manner, by spot welding or the like. The wire 20 serves as a support or leg for one end of the base and becomes the lower end when the device is in actual use.

Adjacent the upper end of the base 10 and on the under side thereof, I provide a hand engaging loop 22. The loop 22 serves either as a hand engaging piece for holding the entire shredder and grater, or serves as a support when the grater is arranged in inclined osition restin u n a table top or the like. 11 actual use t e 00 22 serves conveniently as a holder for positioning the entire shredder and rater. The loop or hand engaging piece 22 as its ends bent as at 24. i

The ends 24 are, in turn, up-st-ruck so as to provide a channel shaped portion 26. The

ur se of the single portion 26 will beherema or more full set forth. The hand engaging piece 22 1s riveted or otherwise secured to the under side of the portion 10 of the base A.

I provide a plurality of cutting element-s each of which is substantially circular in outline as shown in Figures 5 and 6 of the drawings. The reference character B indicates a cutter element. Each of the cutter elements B is provided with a plurality of cutting edges 28 of any suitable design and configuration. For example, in Figure 1 the cutter element B is illustrated as havingwa plurality of lar e cutting edges for cutting articles into substantially large pieces, while in Figure 5 the cutting edges are small and in corresponding greater number. In Figure 6, the cutting edge consists of one long blade extending substantially across the cutter element B. Each cutter element B is formed with a downturned peripheral flange 30 which tends to reinforce the cutter element and at the same time serves as a means for interfitting with the charmel shaped flange 16 of the opening 14 in the base A. The cutter elements B are interchangeable and are adapted for frictional mounting within the opening 14.

' The channel shaped flange 16 limits the movement of the cutter element B within the openin 14 and supports the upper surface thereo substantially flush with the upper surface of the portion 10 of the base A.

I rovide a ide element C formed of a sing e strand 0 heavy wire which has a central portion 32 arranged to be received within the channel groove 26 formed in the hand engaging-piece 22 as clearly shown in Figure 8 of the drawings. The central portion 32 of the wire C extends out beyond the side edges of the portion 10 of the ase A. and is bent at right angles as at 34. Adjacent the bend 34 there is provided a short up-standing piece 36 which is again bent and formed into elongated guide rods 38. The free ends of the guide rods 38 are inturned as at 40, thus serving as a limit for movement of the holder to be more fully set forth.

It will be noted that the wire C serves as a guide device and is formed of a single strand of wire bent in the fashion heretofore disclosed. The wire 0 or guide device is capable of pivotal movement with the channel portions 26 of the hand engaging piece 22 serving as the pivotal bearing for the guide device proper.

Mounted u on the guide rods or portions 38 of the wire is a holder D. The holder D moves bodily with the guide device C. The holder D comprises a pair of looped elements 42 having down-turned flat parts 44. The looped elements 42 are slidably mounted upon the guide device or rod C. The holder D also includes a member 46 having downturned sides 48 arranged parallel with and adjacent to the sides 44 of the loo ed elements 42. The member 46 is pivota ly connected to the looped elements 42 by a pair of rivets or the like 50 which permit a rockable movement with relation/to the guide. The rivets 50 extend through the sides 48 and 44 of the member 46 and the looped elements 42.

It will be noted that the member 46 is capable of pivotal movement relative to the looped elements 42 as clearly shown in Figure 2 of the drawings. The member 46 has a hand engaging loop 52 formed thereon on its upper surface. The under surface of the member 46 includes down-turned flanges 54 having gripping teeth for engaging the article to be grated or shredded. The flanges 54 may be formed integral with the member 46 or may be secured thereto as desired, the

purpose being to provide means for engaging and holding the article to be grated.

I provide a central opening 56 in the member 46 so. that the final piece of the article to be grated may be ejected or pushed from engagement with the gripping means on the under side of the member 46. In Figure 2 of the drawings, I have shown in dotted lines 58 the article to be grated, which may be .a potato or the like. In Figure 2 I have also shown the grater in use upon a bowl 60, which catches and retains the shredded or grated articles.

The flanges 54 adjacent the down-turned sides 48 are provided with curved portions 62 which limit the down movement of the holder member 46 relative to the base A. The purpose of this is to prevent the holder member 46 from coming in direct contact with the cutting edge or edges of the element B.

Practical operation placed on the base A. The holder is brought to position so that the gripping means on the under' side thereof enga e the article. The holder is then reciprocate lengthwise of the base A, within the limits of the uide portions 38. The article to be shred e'd is thus drawn across the cutting element B and by continued reciprocation the article is fed across the cutter.

It will be noted that during movement of the holder the parts assume various angular positions relative to the base. It will be noted that when the article to be shredded or grated is arranged at the upper end of the base, the

guide rod 0 is at a different angle relative to the base than when the article is at the lower end of the base. The position of the parts just referred to is clearly illustrated in F igure 2 of the drawin s.

One advantage 0 my device resides in the fact that the cutter elements are interchangeable. The parts are further provided so that they can be easily and quickly cleaned and held together as a unitary structure. The

[operating handle or holder is so made as to conform to any irregular outline of the article to be shredded or grated.

Some changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of the parts of my device without departing from the real spirit and purpose of my invention, and it is 1n tention to cover by my claims, any mod1fied forms of structure or use of mechanical equivalents which may be reasonably 1mcluded within their scope.

I claim as my invention:

' 1. A grater of the class described, comprising a base having cutting means thereon, means for presenting an article to grated to the cutting means, said means lncludmg a guide device, a holder slidably and rockably mounted on said guide device for movement across the cutting means, said guide device being pivoted at one end to the base for allowing bodily movement of the holder relative to the base.

2. A grater including a base having a receiving opening therein, a cutting element adapted to be mounted within said opening, means for presenting an article to be grated to said cutting element, said means comprising a guide element pivoted to said base and a holder slidably and rockably associated with the guide element for engaging the article to be grated for moving the same across the surface of the cutting element.

3. In a device of the character disclosed, an elongated base having cutting means thereon, a holder for articles tobe cut by said cutting means, a. guide for said holder arranged to prevent transverse movement but rmit both longitudinal and vertical movement of the holder with respect to the base said guide comprising an arm longitudinal o and pivoted to the base for movement in a tical thereto, said holder being slidably and pivotally mounted on said arm.

5. A grater of the class described, comprising a base having cutting means thereon, means for present ng an article to be grated to the cutting means, said means including a guide device pivoted to said base and a holder slidably mounted on said guide device and having movement in addition to said slidable movement whereby the holder may be reciprocated across the cutting means and conform to any irregular holding position it may have to assume.

6. A grater of the class described, comprising a base having cutting means thereon, means for presenting an article to be rated to the cutting means, said means inc uding a guide device, a holder slidably and rockably mounted on said guide device for movement across the cutting means, said guide device bein pivoted at one end to. the base for allowing bodily movement of the holder relative to the base, and a circumferentially arganged gripping flange projecting downwardly from the underside of said holder for engaging an article to be grated.

7 A grater comprising an elongated base having an opening therein provided with a peripheral flange, a cutting element having a peri heral flange formed thereon for frictional y mounting within said opening, a guide pivotally mounted on said base and a holder longitudinally slidably and rockably mounted relative to the base and carried by said ide.

8. grater of the class described comprising a base hayingcutting means thereon, means for presenting an article to be grated to the cutting means, said means including a guide device pivoted to said base and a holder for said article, means for slidably mounting said holder on said guide device and means for pivotall mountin said holder on said last means whereby the older may be reciprocated across the cutting means and conform to any irregular holding position it ma have to assume.

es Moines, Iowa, June 6,1930.

ANDREW S. KN APP. 

